From Perthshire, With Love
by Panja Mysy
Summary: Fitz surprises Jemma with the news of a two week holiday from the field...but that's not the only surprise he has planned. (Fitzsimmons slice of life fic, because my babies deserve happiness and peace.)
1. Chapter 1

**I flit from fandom to fandom like an ADD butterfly, so this time I'm feeling the muse for my newest obsession: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, because, I'm sorry, the characters are so intriguing and well developed I really want to try my hand at writing them !**

 **Spoilers for all seasons MIGHT appear within so you've been warned. Also, I own nothing, all rights belong to Marvel and such.**

 **Cheers, now onward!**

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Jemma couldn't help the nervous bouncing of her left leg as he sat on the wooden bench in King's Cross Station next to Fitz, awaiting the arrival of the train that would take them to their destination...which, to her dismay, he would not divulge to her no matter how much she weedled and whined at her companion. She knew it had to be on the island, of course, since they were traveling by rail, but she couldn't imagine why Fitz would practically beg Coulson for a holiday and then not even use the chance to visit some exotic place they'd never been instead of England. Or Whales. Or Scotland. Wherever the devil he was taking her.

"Jemma," the familiar tone of amusement and placation of her best friend snapped her out of her contemplation and she started slightly at the weight of his hand where it came to rest on her thigh, stilling the bouncing and halting the steady thumping of her heel on the cement, She cast him a sheeping look and he gave her a cheeky smile in return. "You're gonna hammer a hole clear through the floor if you keep that up."

Overdramatic, as always. How very Fitz-like.

"Well, maybe if I knew where we were going and what the plan is for this little impromptu vacation of yours I would be a bit less fidgety!"

Fitz simply rolled his eyes and gave her leg a slight squeeze before removing his hand and slumping down in the bench to kick his legs out straight in front of him, leaning his head back on his crossed arms behind his neck to grin up at the high ceiling of the station. He looked infuriatingly comfortable and Jemma felt a strong desire to poke him in the ribs and draw out the usual unmanly squeal she knew would result from the action...but she couldn't bring herself to do it when she knew he was keeping all this a secret for a good reason, no matter how frustrated she was about the fact. He wanted to surprise her and it was selfish of her to keep trying to ruin it for him.

Sighing heavily, Jemma resigned herself to being in the dark on the matter and settled for reaching across the small divide between them on the bench and letting her fingertips trace down his side, making him jerk from the ticklish sensation but allowing him to maintain his dignity without shrieking...Leo Fitz was extremely ticklish she had discovered one particular night; it was now her secret weapon against him.

The result was immediate, he sat up straight and had grabbed her wrist to halt her tactics with almost inhuman reaction time (funny how fast one can move when instinct takes over). The space between them disappeared quickly as he scooted over to press right up next to her, preventing any further tickles by grabbing her free hand as well and holding both of her arms hostage across his chest. The pull of her second arm resluted in her having to twist sideways to accomodate the motion and she found herself face to face, annoyed blue eyes glared into her playful brown and she giggled slightly at his indignant expression and the way his botttom lip stuck out ever so slightly in a pout she didn't even think he knew he had.

"You're annoying," he said simply, but the hardness in his expression had already begun to fade and Jemma knew exactly how to get herself out of trouble, all it took was a quick peck on the lips and a nuzzle of their noses and he was all delight and soft smiles again.

"I still can't believe Coulson gave us a whole two weeks off!" Jemma wiggled out of his grip and sat back on the bench, leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees and lay her head on her arms, twisting her neck to look up at her travelling companion, "I hesitate to ask exactly _how_ you managed to convince him. He's only even allowed a few days at a time before."

"I have my ways," was the simple, cryptic response he offered and Jemma growled slightly in frustration, coming to the realization that Fitz wasn't going to be a very chatty counterpart on this train ride...at least not when it came to topics related to their holiday.

The sound of the overhead speakers announcing the impending arrival of the next train made the biochemist sigh with a tiny bit of relief as she stood up and stretched her arms over her head to work out the kinks from sitting on the bench, at least she might get some idea of where they were headed now that...

"I hope you've got some good music on your phone, because I'm gonna need you to wear these so you can't hear the stops being called." Jemma glanced back at him in surprise and found him holding out a pair of noise cancelling headphones.

"Of for... _Fitz_ , you're being ridiculous!"

"We're not arguing about it. Take them and put them on as soon as we get settled."

"I..."

" _Please_ , Jemma?"

Ugh, no...not the puppy eyes... _not the bloody puppy eyes!_ Jemma squeezed the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes again the sight of her partner's big, blue, begging stare but even with thm closed she could feel the burn in her mind. She dared to take a peek and it proved to be a mistake because she was putty in his hands the second she got a look at him. Sighing, she held out her hand and accepted the headphones and the instructions that came with them.

"I promise you won't be sorry," He sounded a bit guilty about having used his foolproof ammunition against her and he smiled apologetically as he tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear, tracing the pad of his thumb along her cheekbone. "You trust me, yeah?"

"Of course I do." And she did. How could she not after all they'd been through together? Suddenly wearing the headphones seemed like the most trivial thing in the world and she placed them on with a thumbs up to show him she had no more reservations about it.

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The train ride was actually fairly pleasant and relaxing. Since she couldn't exactly converse with Leo in those headphones, she resigned herself to sifting through the playlist on her phone and leaning against him as she watched the landscape roll by. The lull of the train and the consistant movement of green in the window soon caused her eyes to become heavy and she must have dozed off because the next thing she knew, she was being shaken awake. Starting slightly, she sat up straight and glanced around to try and get her bearings, but her chin was suddenly cupped by Fitz's hand and it prevented it from looking out the window at the stop they were pulling up to. He gave her a stern look and shook his head at her, silently conveying that she couldn't yet know their destination...and then he produced a strip of material with a sly grin.

A blindfold? Goodness, he was going all out about this, wasn't he? She didn't like the idea, but she knew the sooner she let him have his way the sooner the mystery would finally be solved so she blew out a longsuffering breath and nodded for him to apply the blindfold. Before her sight was taken along with her hearing he gave her a wink, excitement quite obvious in his eyes...whatever he had planned must be something impressive for him to be this eager to keep it hidden.

Carefully and slowly, Fitz led her out of the train and along the platform and out to what she assumed was the street. Sure enough, Fitz's hand against her back informed her to duck down and she felt the familiar feel of a car seat under her. Sound flooded her world again as her headphones were unexpectedly removed and the car began to move forward.

"Not too far now," Jemma realized just how much she'd already begun to miss his voice already just from the lack of it during the train ride and she smiled softly at the familiar Scottish lilt. "Sorry for all the secrecy but I really want this to be perfect..."

"It's fine, Fitz," she was quick to reassure him because she could hear the guilt in his tone and she didn't think he had anything to feel guilty about, "I'm sure whatever you're scheming will be well worth it in the end."

They chatted back and forth during the taxi ride, easy and typical of them, they even managed to have a tiny bit of an argument about their newest project they'd begun in the lab back at the base before the driver informed Fitz they were arriving at the address. The car rolled to a stop and Jemma flet herself being pulled gently out to stand, she felt grass under her shoes and she could smell fresh, crisp air...nowhere near a city, it would seem. Fitz paid the cabbie and thanked him and then she felt him approach to stand beside her, her palm twitching slightly as he took her hand and interlaced their fingers, turning her slightly to face in a different direction than she had been.

"Alright," he told her softly, "You can take it off now."

She didn't hesitate for a moment, pulling the offending piece of cloth over her head to finally see what the all important and wonderful surprise would turn out to be...and when she saw it, she found she suddenly couldn't breathe, her eyes widened in utter disbelief at what she was seeing. It was a house, and not just any house... _her house_. The little cottage she'd told him about, in Perthshire.

She couldn't speak, she couldn't even think properly, she simply stared in shock as she took it all in. Every stone, every bush, every blade of grass even...it was exactly how she remembered it from back when she'd first seen it. Her eyes scanned the entire picture before them and finally came to rest on a small white sign in the yard next to the cobbled walkway...it swayed slightly in the Highland breeze, emblazoned with a bright red "SOLD".

 _But that would mean..._

Slowly, she turned her gaze from the sign to the man standing next to her. He was watching her very closely, apprehension etched clearly in every inch of his face as he waited for her reaction. His entire form was tense, looking something akin to a rabbit getting ready to run at the first sign of danger.

"Surprise..." he said in a way that sounded almost like a question more than a declaration.

"Oh, Fitz..." It was all she could managed to squeeze out of her rapidly constricting throat before the dam burst and she threw herself into him with a loud and rather uncouth sobbing wail, arms wrapped desperately tight about his neck as she pulled him as close and as tight as she could manage, hoping to convey her absolute joy through her touch rather than her current blubbering.

He must have understood just fine because she felt his arms encircle her and she heard the rumble of a chuckle against her ear where it was pressed to his chest, she felt his grip increase until she was being squeezed so tight she almost couldn't bear it, but she also wanted it to last for always at the same time. But the pressure disappeared quickly and he went lax against her, as if a lifetime of tension had just melted off his shoulders and he played with pieces of her hair while she hid her face in the collar of his shirt and collected herself. Finally, she did, and she tilted her head back to meet his eyes.

"How did you...?" she began.

"Afford it?" He finished.

She nodded and her expression became one of concern. They were paid well enough now that S.H.I.E.L.D was up and running again officially, but it still wasn't enough to justify buying a house and property with. What had he done to gain the funds?

"Don't panic, Jemma, it's not like I whored myself out or anything," Fitz teased, a grin spreading across his face at her expression in response to that statement, "I just sold a very simple and innocent and not at all dangerous design to a company for a fairly hefty price."

Jemma gaped at him. Fitz had always stood by the fact that he wasn't in Engineering for the money, even though he had dozens of designs he considered "insignificant" and "meaningless" that could easily be sold for millions...but his pride never allowed him to fool around with any of his pre-S.H.I.E.L.D tinkerings, until now. He considered this gift more important than the pride he took in the complexity and ingenuity of his creations, and that was just as wonderful a gift as the house it's self.

"So..." his voice brought her back to the present and she realized he was now tugging at her hand in an effort to make her move from the place she'd rooted herself in her disbelief. "We gonna go in or not? I don't know about you, but I don't fancy getting drookit by those clouds coming in."

Jemma giggled at the Scottish term, it would seem just being back in his native country was already bringing out his roots. It was adorable, if she was honest. She allowed herself to be moved from her spot and she followed him up the path that led to the dark red front door of...

... _their_ new home?

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 **I don't know about you all, but I'm a huge sucker for slice of life type stories and, let's be honest, Fitzsimmons DESERVE some simple pleasures!**

 **Have it be known right now...I am not at all Scottish nor am I from the UK. I DO, however, have a great love for the UK and Ireland so I am definitely doing my research as I go so I can make things as accurate as possible. That said, forgive me if I write something totally out of whack (and feel free to correct me on it as well!).**

 **As always, reviews would be wonderful if you have the time!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Without further ado, here's chapter two! Oh...that rhymed :D**

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Unfortunately, due to the fact that they had both completely forgotten they'd set their baggage down next to the street and had to turn back for them, the pair was caught by the sudden downpour and now stood in the foyer, utterly soaked and dripping onto the dark wood of the floor.

Fitz threw up a few choice words at the clouds before shutting the door loudly behind them, muttering under his breath about the _"shite weather"_ as he shook his head, flicking all new droplets of water into Jemma's face from his drenched curls.

"Thanks so much for that, Fitz..." Jemma sighed, blinking rapidly as she overdramatized her reaction to the flecks of water.

"Whoops...sorry, Jemma." He wasn't sorry at all, not really. He couldn't hold back the amused smile and he knew he'd started something because a playful glint flashed over Jemma's eyes...a mere moment before she shook her longer and more abundant hair forcefully in his direction, flinging a decent amount of water right at him.

The two of them burst into a fit of giggles but it was cut short by a rather loud sneeze from Jemma that sent Fitz immediately into business mode.

"Right," he straightened up and gave her a very stern look, pointing in the direction of the staircase at the end of the front hall, "You get up there and get out of those wet clothes, Simmons!"

Jemma gave him an overdramatic salute and turned on her heels like a soldier before marching down the hallway to ascend to the second floor. Fitz shook his head with a smile and followed behind with their baggage, grinning like a fool as he watched Jemma's head twist side to side as she took in everything around her, the joy was clearly written on every inch of her face and it was an amazing sight...it had been quite a while since he'd seen her look so carefree.

The second floor was fairly small due to the slant of the roof on either side, resulting in the rooms having a unique shape depending on where the windows were. Three rooms were found, and quickly examined by his excited female counterpart and each door she opened resulted in her jaw dropping further and further and her delighted gasps turning into squeaky squeals of delight.

"Fitz, this is the coziest place on this blessed planet!" she proclaimed as she practically skipped into the larger bedroom to the right of the staircase, stopping the the center of the room to scan it and commit it to memory. Her eyes came to rest on the bed and she cast a glance over her shoulder to waggle her eyebrows at him, which resulted in his heart doing a somersault in his chest. "We'll definitely have to break that in later, won't we?"

"Uh...yeah, definitely!" Internally, Fitz wanted to kick himself, even after all they'd been through and their years of being side by side, she still managed to turn him into a stuttering fool every time she flirted with him, which was becoming much more often since they'd finally crossed that line from best friends to...well, best friends in love was the best way to describe it. Nothing had really changed between them, they were just _closer_ now in ways they hadn't been before.

Obviously she'd noticed the waver in his voice because she gave him a smile the likes of which she kept specifically for his eyes only as she slowly moved across the room to where he was still holding onto the bags. Swallowing thickly, he waited on pins and needles for her next move, which turned out to be her hands sliding slowly up the length of his arms, around his shoulders and coming to a halt at his chest where they gripped onto the material of his jacket to pull him a bit closer. She angled her chin up to bring her lips to his ear.

"Fancy a hot shower with me?"

Did he ever! _No, wait...that wasn't part of the plan_ , this was supposed to be romantic, slowly built and solidly presented. Steeling himself inwardly, he responded to her offer with an apologetic smile and a shake of his head before pressing a quick kiss to her lips and stepping back from her intoxicating presence to reduce the difficulty of his resistance.

"Can I take a raincheck on that?" He hated the flash of self consciousness and disappointment that he saw in her eyes, but he had to stand firm if he wanted the evening to go as planned...after all, sometimes the wait and the tension made everything even better. He sure hoped so anyway, because the frosty glare she gave him as she backed out of his personal space made him a bit nervous about how she may respond to any of his actions tonight. "It's just...I was gonna go make tea...for you when you got out. So you could relax and everything..."

"If that's what you'd rather do, Leo."

 _Oh boy_...she only used his proper name in two circumstances: during sex and when she was pissed at him.

He chose not to react to the cold tone of her voice and he gave her an honest to God smile, hoping to convey something positive to her and let her know he wasn't being malicious. He waited until he heard the shower running before pulling open his suitcase and pulling out a pair of jeans and a thick, wool jumper to fight off the chill that was beginning to settle in the house from the Scottish October night. Considerably more comfortable in the dry, warm clothes, Fitz made his way back down the stairs and into the kitchen to put the kettle on for the tea he promised her. The telltale whistle of the steam pushing it's way out of the kettle just at the time the shower turned off upstairs and he quickly filled two mugs (successfully scalding his right thumb in the process when some splashed out on him), and added the cream and sugar exactly the way Jemma preferred so hers would be ready before prepping his own, then he leaned against the counter to wait for her, holding both mugs tightly in preparation for her arrival.

Footsteps overhead told him she had made her way to the bedroom, most likely to bundle up even more than he had due to her cold nature. Sure enough, when she appeared in the doorway of the kitchen she was sporting light pink fleece pyjama bottoms and one of his thicker woll jumpers. Despite the lofty look on her face and the upward tilt of her nose that clearly told him she was pure dead pissed at him he had to smile at the sight of her...she always stole his clothes because she liked the slightly oversized feel of them better than her own fitted ones, and he loved the sight if he was honest.

But his appreciative stare was interrupted when she marched across the floor with an air of superiority and began rifling through the cabinets next to the stove where he was leaning. He knew her tactics well, she wanted him to be very well aware of the displeasure that was coming off her inwaves so she would get as close as possible without actually making eye contact, or any kind of contact at all, and remain stubbornly silent until she just couldn't hold it back...all he had to do was wait for the inevitable snide remark she would soon make.

"Tea?" he offered calmly from his spot at her side as she bent down to dramatically investigate the nearly empty cabinet that only held a few pots and pans.

Her head tilted just enough to look over her upper arm at him with a look that clearly expressed _'are you kidding me?'_ and then she straightened up and faced him, quietly accepting the mug from him withouth a word.

"Why how nice of you, Leo. You're so thoughtful." Her tone was heavy with sarcastic condescension and it made him wince slightly, but he recovered quickly and set his mug on the stovetop with a sigh and turned to her to make serious eye contact, ready to work this out before things went too far.

"Are you mad at me, Jemma?" he asked softly, giving her the opportunity to let it out if she wanted to, even though he knew exactly why she was mad.

"Of course not, Leo, what ever gave you that impression?"

"Maybe the fact you're calling me "Leo" and shooting daggers at me with your eyes?"

"Well that's your bloody name, isn't it?" The reply was swift and sharp. Definitely time to stop skirting around things.

"Jemma..." he took her tea from her carefully and set it beside his own then he took hols of her wrists, tracing her pulse point with his fingertips soothingly as he looked her dead in the eyes, "You're mad and I know why, but will you let me explain?"

Thankfully, she seemed to thaw a bit at their suddenly closeness and she nodded as her eyes dropped to the floor between them. He couldn't have that, so he tilted her chin back up with one knuckle and forced her to meet his eyes again.

"We're together a LOT at the base, yeah? But I noticed something the last few months...a lot of the time we spend together is working in the lab surrounded by dozens of people and working on projects and working out problems for the missions."

"Not ALL the time..." Jemma started to argue but Fitz cut her off.

"And what little free time we do have is spent sleeping, snatching a meal or..."

"Having sex! Which is what I nvited you to do just now, but you..."

Fitz rolled his eyes slightly and clapped his hand over her mouth gently to cut her off before she really got heated.

"I'm not a complete idiot, Jems, I know that. I PROMISE you, I want you all day every day, and we'll get to that soon, but I miss...us."

Almost immediately, Jemma's eyes softened her brows arching slightly as she grasped what he was trying to convey. Her hand came up to move his from her mouth and she gave him a sheepish little smile.

"Oh, Fitz..."

"I just thought...all the work we've been doing lately with Dr. Radcliff is pretty time and energy consuming so..."

"You want to spend actual genuine quality time together." She finished his sentence. That was a good thing.

"Yeah. And I can tell when you're getting stressed, Jemma...you need some down time. So what'dya say we light the fireplace and..."

"Cuddle?!" The hopeful expression and her gleeful tone were a precious combination and Fitz broke into a massive smile.

"Exactly."

They each took their respective mugs from the stove and made their way to the lounge. Jemma immediately plopped into the big, cushy couch and tucked her ankles underneath her as she lounged sideways on her elbow and propped her head on her palm to watch as Fitz worked on getting the fire lit. He glanced over his shoulder at her a few times, giving her a wink or a smile each time and, when the fire was lit he joined her on the couch. Jemma sat up immediately and squished herself right up to his side, overdramatizing her shivering to earn her some sympathy...which worked because his arm was around her shoulder without a second's hesitation, pulling her even closer as he rubbed her arm in long firm strokes to create some warming friction.

"See? This isn't so bad." He commented matter-of-factly.

"No indeed," Jemma tore her eyes from the crackling flames across the small room and graced him with her full attention, "Thank you, Leo. You always seem to know what I need way before I do...I didn't realize how much I missed this till now. We really haven't had much time to just relax like this, have we?"

"I won't say I told you so, but..." Fitz teased and Jemma gave him a playful shove and giggled.

Fitz gave her a smug smile and picked up his mug of tea he'd set on the end table, taking a huge sip without even thinking about it...and ended up spluttering loudly as the hot liquid settled on his tongue.

"Fuck me sideways!" Somehow he managed to set the mug down without spilling it everywhere in his haste, and immediately began panting and waving his hands over it in an effort to ease the pain one can only know if they've gulped a scalding hot cup of tea. Jemma was trying to be soothing and comforting but all she was managing to do was giggle loudly and get out one or two words in between.

"Oh...Fitz...you alright?"

"No, woman, I just lost the entire top layer of my tongue!"

"I can kiss it and make it better."

Fitz was caught a bit off guard by that, and he gave her a look out of the corner of his eye as he contemplated the offer.

"Have at it then."

Jemma didn't need a second invitation, her lips were on his as soon as the words were out of his mouth and Fitz was pretty sure the fire in the fireplace was pathetic next to the heat she ignited in him. Cuddles be damned...he could only turn her down so many times before he lost his sanity completely, and he discovered then that the number of times he could deny her was one.

After all, they had two whole weeks to relax; they could put it off till tomorrow.

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 **I just love them so much...that is all.**

 **Proceed to the review section, ladies and gentlemen ;)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Ugh, it's been a hella stressful workweek full of coworker drama and bullshit...so it's time to take a breather and do some writing!**

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It was the sunlight streaming through the window that woke Jemma the next morning, but it was the warm weight pressed against her back and draped across her stomach that made her want to stay that way. She smiled to herself as she remained still and silent to take in the peace and perfection of the moment, something she'd only ever read of in those silly romance novels that Bobbi had lent her now and again.

She felt the heat of her partner's breath against the back of her neck as it issued from his nose in long, slow and steady intervals; at some point in the night he'd nuzzled right into the base of her skull and, now that she was awake, Jemma felt a bit ticklish at the sensation...but she didn't want to risk waking him so she just bared it in silence. Glancing down at the weight over her side and stomach she found his right arm wrapped around her loosely, the heavy blanket they were under was gripped firmly in his hand and she frowned slightly, knowing all too well the way one would clutch in their sleep during a nightmare.

They were both still plagued by them after all they'd been through, she knew this even if he wouldn't admit it out loud...but they had definitely lessened significantly since they'd begun sharing a bed, the company of someone next to you whom you trust more than anyone else in the world had made all the difference. She twisted carefully just enough to be able to reach his hand with her own and she worked the material of the blanket out of his fist to be replaced with her fingers, tracing his palm soothingly as she watched the tension disappear.

She was struck by an entirely new realization then as she traced her thumb over his knuckles: she loved his hands. After all, these hands had saved her life more than once...skilled and nimble, these hands had created incredible things, impossible things! They were calloused enough to be proof of the hard work he put into the creations he loved, but delicate enough to show the precision required for the tasks he performed; strong enough to take a life and gentle enough to save many more. Also, they were definitely just right for holding her tight and caressing her skin as they moved together in a harmony all their own when he made love to her...because , if there was one thing Leo Fitz was even more amazing at than engineering, it was that.

The memory of the night before made her smile even wider and she was struck with the need to look at him and take in the sight of him like this. Very cautiously, she wiggled to put some space between them so she could turn onto her other side underneath his arm. Luckily, he was too deeply asleep to notice what was happening and he just let out a little unhappy sound and shifted closer to her again in an unconscious search for the lost body heat. Jemma stilled for a moment to be sure he wasn't waking and then propped herself up slightly on her elbow so she could rest her chin on her palm and observe her sleeping bedmate.

She doubted she would ever get tired of this sight: tight brownish-blond curls all in a sex/sleep induced mess, long eyelashes resting on pale cheeks, a day's worth of dark stubble speckling his face, full lips parted slightly as almost imperceptible little snoring sounds issued from between them. Jemma wished she had a camera to capture him like this, he never looked so calm when he was awake...oh, wait, her phone!

Grinning, she twisted and stretched her arm behind her to pick up the device and bring it back around to focus the screen on Fitz's face. Unfortunately, she forgot she had the shutter sound on and the obnoxious sound of a duck quack shattered the silence, causing Fitz to wince and grumble deeply for a moment before his brilliant blue eyes cracked open and locked gazes with her, looking rather annoyed and confused.

" 's there a duck in here?" he slurred sleepily.

Jemma laughed and shook her head as she turned the phone's screen around for him to see the snapshot she'd captured. He frowned and blinked slowly a few times as his eyes adjusted to the light of the sunrise and the harsh LED of the screen, but once he had seen the image he moved more quickly than Jemma would have thought possible in his current state of half-awakedness and snatched the phone out of her hand, finger hovering over the screen to delete the picture.

"Fitz, please, don't erase it!" the panic in her voice must have surprised him, because his hand stilled and he looked at her questioningly.

"Jemma, come on, it's terrible," he whined, self-consciously reaching up to attempt and flatten the curls he knew were sticking out because the picture told him so.

"No, it's not...it's...perfect." She wasn't sure just how to explain to him why the image meant so much to her, but she realized then that losing it would be losing something irreplacable and she felt honest-to-goodness fear welling up in her chest, making unwelcomed tears well up in her eyes.

"A perfect mess, you mean...hey, whoa!" Upon glancing over at her, the phone was immediately set down and he turned to face her completely, looking horrified and guilty, "Jemma, what's the matter? I won't touch the picture, I promise..."

She took the phone off the blanket between them, saved the image and locked the screen for good measure, setting it aside she gave her worried friend a teary smile to let him know it was ok.

"I know it's silly, Fitz but...I always want to remember you like that. I just...we've been torn apart from eachother again and again and I've been so close to losing you so many times...I just wanted to have it..."

Bewilderment was replaced with comprehension on Fitz's features and he cocked his head slightly to give her an empathetic look. Without a word, he scooted closer and put his arms around her to pull her close and bury his nose into the hair just above her ear so he could speak to her from this angle clearly.

"Remember, we promised we wouldn't let that happen again," he told her, his tone was deadly serious, "I've got you, Jemma, and I promise nothing could ever make me let go. The cosmos can go to Hell."

Jemma immediately felt safe again, like the world could come at them full force and never even touch them. Fitz had a way of making her feel that way every time she found herself in his arms...funny, when you considered how small he may seem compared to most of the men she was surrounded by on a daily basis. But she knew better, Fitz's strength was internal and far stronger than anything physical training could ever even dream of comparing to.

She nodded into his neck and leaned back to give him a smile and assure him she was alright.

"You can keep the bloody awful picture too if it makes you happy, a'right?" he said, cheekily, before she could say something else to dampen the mood.

"It's not awful," Jemma argued immediately, feeling a silly need to defend him from...himself? "You're adorable like this."

Fitz just rolled his eyes and leaned in for a kiss to distract her from talking about it anymore. It worked and Jemma felt the stress of the previous moments melt off her like ice on a hot sidewalk.

The potential for that kiss to become so much more was, sadly, halted when Fitz's stomach growled so loudly that Jemma burst into laughter. The moment sufficiently ruined, Jemma felt her own stomach twisting with the need for a good breakfast as well so a mutual decision was made that food outweighed sex in this particular instance and they reluctantly rolled out of opposite sides of the bed to get ready for the morning...although Jemma wouldn't deny herself taking in the view of a totally bare Fitz stumbling sleepily toward the door to the hallway on his way to claim the bathroom before she could.

"You know, a gentleman would let his lady take first turn in the loo!" she called after him, teasingly. She was graced with a glance over the shoulder and his tongue sticking out at her as a reply.

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A half hour later the pair were perched on the front step of their little home (which Jemma was still trying to grasp the reality of), watching the last remnants of the sunrise on the horizon, coloring the distant highlands with a slightly pinkish hue. Jemma sipped her morning coffee slowly and just took it all in with a heart full of happiness...another perfect, picturesque view. Two in one day, this was.

She glanced up at Fitz where he was leaning back against the stone wall of the house, hands wrapped around his coffee mug to absorb the heat of it, looking relaxed and happy with his eyes heavily lidded with the last remnants of sleepiness as he stared across the valley towards the rising sun. He was wearing blue jeans and a well worn grey t-shirt with a faded circular pattern that used to be Captain America's shield under a dark blue zip-up hoodie.

 _Guess I better make that THREE perfect views._

"So...I should probably tell you now before you find out later when she gets here, but my mum wanted to come see us."

He said it apologetically, as if she would be upset about such a thing. Quite the opposite! Jemma adored Mrs. Fitz and was always delighted to have her around or to be yanked into the Fitz household, _literally_ , and treated like a part of the family.

"Really? Oh, good!" she smiled up at him honestly, "When will she be arriving then?"

"Not till after noon at some point. I hope you don't mind but...I mean, I haven't seen her in months so I thought..."

"Fitz, honestly, it's perfectly alright. You know I adore your mum!"

"Yeah but..." Fitz scuffed the dirt with the toe of his Converse and ducked his head shyly as he sometimes did when he was nervous about something, "She doesn't really know about us. You know, being together...?"

"Oh...well, good grief, why didn't you tell her yet?" Jemma wondered. She'd told her parents almost immediately after they'd made it official, and had listened to at least three dozen "I told you so"s and much squealing as a result along with her dad's firm but loving advice on never letting love blind you and being sure he's as good as he seems to be. _Oh, daddy, you don't even know the half of it..._

"What are you looking at me like that for?" Fitz's amused voice broke her from her thoughts and she realized she'd been staring at him for far too long, and that her expression had become somewhat wolfish near the end. She shook herself slightly and dropped her eyes to her coffee cup.

"Just thinking," she responded a bit too quickly. She may have been getting better at lying, but she was still terrible at it by normal standards.

"Maybe try not to think too hard while my mum's here unless you want to be teased about it for a lifetime," Fitz informed her with an unhappy huff of air from his nose. Mrs. Fitz was well known for her inability to keep her thoughts to herself, which may be why Jemma had always gotten along well with her since it was a trait they both shared, although she'd come to learn to control it a bit better recently.

She didn't grace Fitz's comment with a reply and just continued taking in the view of the land around them. Scotland truly was lovely, and she was of the mind that it produced some very lovely people as well; she had meant every word of her confession on that video she'd taken on Maveth, she could definitely see herself settling down here...see THEM settling down here. The distance from here to Sheffield wasn't too bad, she mused to herself, visiting her parents would be easy and Glasgow was even closer so seeing Fitz's mom would be an even easier trip...yes, she was liking the idea more and more.

"You look like you're thinking hard," Fitz commented quietly, his tone sounding like he was thinking just as hard as she had been.

"I was just...enjoying the view." It wasn't a lie, she truly was doing so, but she didn't want to share her domestic thoughts with him and give him the impression he was under any sort of pressure to fulfill these little ideas of hers. A ring...dressed in white...her dad leading her down an aisle...all these things she'd been dreaming of for a while now but was too afraid to say out loud in case he wasn't ready for that, or even if he wanted it at all. He loved her, she had no doubt about that, but they'd never actually discussed the idea of making this relationship a legal, binding union...Fitz always said he hated change so maybe he liked the way things were now and wouldn't want it to change anymore.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Jemma downed the last mouthful of coffee and stood up, brushing off the seat of her pyjama pants with a quiet sigh.

"Well, I should probably see what we've got to make for lunch then," she announced, "Anything in particular your mum likes?"

"I wouldn't worry about it, Jemma, if I know my mum she'll start cooking the second she walks through the door."

"Fitz, I am NOT letting your mum do her own cooking when she's a guest!" Jemma scolded him as they made their way to the kitchen. She didn't know why, but she felt a strong need to impress Mrs. Fitz this time...

"A'right, then, don't bite my head off over it," Fitz muttered, taking on the safe task of filling the kettle in the sink, knowing better than to get in Jemma's way when she took it in her mind to cook, not that she did very often.

"I wasn't biting your head off over it!" Jemma snapped and then immediately looked sorry for her sharp tone, giving him a sheepish and apologetic smile, "Sorry, Fitz, I guess...I'm just a bit nervous."

"Jemma, you've known my mum for years, you've never been nervous around her."

"I know, but this is..."

"Different?"

"Yes!"

Fitz sighed and set the kettle on the stove before turning around to lean back against the counter and cross his arms, giving her an amused look.

"Oh, so NOW you're worried about making a good impression? I'd say you're about ten years too late for that, Jems."

His use of the rare nickname made Jemma smile, she had always very much liked it but hadn't ever told him...because if he knew then he'd use it all the time and it would probably lose it's charm over time.

"Fitz, can you please just bear with me? If nothing else, you should want to make your mum feel welcome!"

"Alright, alright...what can I do to help?" Fitz knew a losing battle when he saw one.

"Would you please go make sure the lounge is in order? Maybe mop the floor a bit by the doorway since we tracked in a bit of mud yesterday...oh, and set up the table in there for tea?"

Fitz gave her a tiny salute with two fingers and pushed off the counter to attend to his given tasks while Jemma gathered ingredients for lunch. When she'd thrown together the ingredients for a soup recipe she looked up on her phone, something hot and comforting on what promised to be a chilly, overcast day, she left it to it's self to cook over the hours until Mrs. Fitz would arrive and joined Leo in the lounge where he was sweeping the floor.

"I could get used to that view," she teased.

"What? Your boyfriend doing slave labor?" he shot right back.

"I wouldn't exactly get that overdramatic about a little housework," Jemma rolled her eyes, "But, considering I didn't even ask you to sweep the floor, I think I got a pretty excellent deal when I got you."

"Excuse you, if I remember correctly it was me who put most of the effort into this whole getting together thing." Fitz argued, halting his work to point the broom handle accusingly in her direction, "Little miss jumping out of planes and running off to join Hydra and getting sucked into a monolith and living with some other guy for months."

For a moment, his words struck her as a bit harsh for the situation, but when she looked up at him from where she'd bent to straighten the couch pillows she saw the teasing twinkle in his eyes and felt relieved. Sometimes she thought back on their history and it made her a bit sad to think of everything she'd put him through on her journey to discovering her feelings for him...she felt as if she'd wasted a lot of time when she knew deep down all along he was the one she truly loved. Will...well, she still thought about him sometimes, their time together hadn't been insignificant, after all; he had definitely been special to her, but now she saw that what she'd felt for Will had been a different kind of love completely that what she felt for Fitz. Losing Will had hurt and left an empty space behind, but losing Fitz would leave her with nothing but an empty shell of herself.

"I know you did," she said softly, almost to herself more than to him, "And I'm so glad you didn't give up on me, Fitz."

"Never."

He leaned over and kissed the top of her head before resuming the sweeping while Jemma went trotting to the kitchen to pull the now squealing kettle off the stove and make them both another cup of coffee to sip while they worked on cleaning the rest of the house.

She had just finished putting fresh sheets on the guest bed when the knock on the front door announced the arrival of their guest and the butterflies that rose in her stomach at the thought of facing Mrs. Fitz with the title of "your son's girlfriend ", it made her a little bit sick feeling...and that only got worse when she heard the familiar voice bellowing out a delighted yell of _"LEO!"_

Straightening her clothes and running her fingers through her hair quickly in an attempt to look even a tiny bit more presentable, Jemma mentall prepared herslef for a moment and then headed down the hall towards the stairs...only to find Mrs. Fitz standing at the bottom with her arms wide open in invitation to come into them.

"Jemma, you lovely lass, come on down here!"

Jemma smilled genuinely at the thick Scottish accent the lady possessed. Fitz's accent had been this thick at one point as well when she first met him, but over time in America it had tempered out a bit...which she found just a little bit sad. However, she had little time to think about it before she reached Mrs Fitz and was enveloped in a tight hug that took her breath away.

"Hello, Mrs. Fitz, it's so nice to see you again!" she managed to wheeze out.

"Oh my, yes, it's been far too long! But here you are and you two look as if you've been very well taken care of!"

Jemma figured it was best not to mention the amount of times she and Leo had nearly been killed, or the torture, or the portals they'd gone through...Mrs. Fitz would probably not think that they'd been very well taken care of at all if she knew.

"Of course," she lied, her smile just a bit too wide and voice a bit higher than normal, "Fitz... _Leo_ and I, we watch eachother's backs."

"Yep," Fitz agreed from his newly taken spot at Jemma's side, "Always have and we always will, right, Jems?"

Jemma nodded and Mrs. Fitz looked between the two of them with a wistful expression before giving them a somewhat sad smile before it faded into a full blown grin.

"So, Leo, you told me you'd bought a place to come home to but I had no idea it was such a lovely spot!" she changed the topic quickly as if something about the previous moment she wanted to move on from, "It's a nice little place for you to come take your breaks at...not that you get too many of those. Why Perthshire, though? I can't ever remember you mentioning it before."

"Ahh..well..." Fitz's hand went to the back of his neck self-consciously and his eyes darted everywhere but his mother's face, afraid to make eye contact as if she'd know every secret he possessed if they did, "It was...I found it on a retail site I was looking at and it just...seemed nice."

Mrs. Fitz clearly didn't believe her son's lame response and her hands went to her hips in an authoritative way that made Leo's fidgeting halt and he bit his bottom lip for a moment before his mouth opened as if of it's own accord and he began spilling everything out.

"I bought it for Jemma, not me...well, I mean it's for me too, I guess since we're...together now. She loved this house ever since she was a kid and I sold a patent and used the money to buy it and take a few weeks off so we could spend a little time together away from work!"

Jemma felt a blush rise in her face at his hurried confession and suddenly felt very self conscious about the fact Leo would do such a thing for her...and the fact that he'd just spilled their news before she was even prepared.

Silence stretched over a long moment following his blurting session and the two young scientists waited on pins on needles for the oncoming reaction from the abnormally quiet woman in front of them. She wasn't silent for long, however. Her face lit up like a child on Christmas morning and her smile was bigger than Jemma could ever remember seeing before.

"It's about bloody time!" Mrs. Fitz's delighted holler made Jemma laugh in relief as the tension disappeared from her shoulders. She found herself and Leo pulled into another tight hug and she heard him chuckling too, obviously relieved as she was by his mother's exclaimation. "Oh, you two! Goodness sakes I've known for years you two would be perfect together, what the hell took you two so damn long?!"

"Hey, ask Jemma, not me," Leo gave his girlfriend a wink to let her know he was joking, "She's the one who took forever to make up her mind."

"Well, a girl can never rush into these things, you know, Leo," Mrs. Fitz defended even before Jemma could respond herself, "I imagine it does take some time to see past the fact you two are best friends. But we all know best friends make the best partners, don't we?"

The way she said that last part, her expression soft as she looked directly at her son made Jemma feel as if there was an unspoken understanding occuring between the two of them. She knew very little about Leo's father since he had been very young when Mr. Fitz had passed, but the little things he could remember had always made Jemma wish she'd gotten to meet him...perhaps his parents had been best friends as well as lovers too.

"So..." the playful and teasing tone Jemma was so familiar with was back in Mrs. Fitz's voice, "When do you think I should start planning on grandchildren?"

"MUM!"

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 **Well, this took way longer than planned. Today was my first day off in two whole weeks so I had a little writing time!**

 **Oh, hey, by the way, SEASON 4 STARTS TOMORROW!**


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